2012 - that was the year

It's been a good year for running.  Here's a quick review of the highlights

• 2011/12 cross-country season: 42nd place overall men and 12th in the veteran league.
• The John Austin half marathon in Brockenhurst - 6th place overall, 1st M40 and 1st age-weighted score (72.5%) - I think this was my best race of the year.
• The Grizzly in Devon - my fifth race, finishing in 37th place... an immense experience as always.
• The Herts Stroller- my first ultra run, very successfully teaching me that I'm not well suited to ultra running.
• The Jungfrau marathon in Switzerland - breathtaking, exhausting, debilitating and majestic... I'll be back in 2022.
• The Hursley 10k - a cracking race - my best performances this year have been in the rain
• The Clarendon marathon - another perennial favourite, and I managed to hang on to 5th place.

2013 goals... improve my parkrun times for speedwork and get better at hills... I reckon I can improve by a few places in the Grizzly.  First priority - get a good result in the 2012/13 cross-country league.

XC league: Popham airfield

A belated report on the third in the cross-country series.

Popham airfield is probably my least favourite venue on the current league circuit.  It's essentially three-and-a-half times around a big field, and as such not a million miles away from enforced circuits around the school playing field.  There are long uphill drags, and it's hard going -- much more fun to be rushing through trees and navigating roots and twisty turns.

Having said that, I quite enjoyed it!  I felt my pacing was good and I kept overtaking people throughout the 10k route.  It was fun watching the small planes taking off and landing.  There was just one technical bit with a steep slippery slope and I stumbled badly on the first lap... until someone gently pushed me up over the top.  I thanked him a few seconds later.  'I was just hanging on' he demurred... but it was very welcome... thank you, mystery pusher.

I picked up my number tab at the end reasonably hopeful that I had broken 80th place.  Oh dear - I was 100th!  I was 111th in 2011, which was consolation of sorts, but with an extra small lap added this year I couldn't directly compare times.

Next stop Bournemouth on 12 Jan...